Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim was a leading Shia cleric and the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). He had returned to Iraq in 2003 after years of exile and was a major figure in advocating for Shia rights in the post-Saddam Hussein era. On August 29, he was conducting Friday prayers at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf when a powerful car bomb detonated as he was leaving the mosque, killing him instantly. The bombing also claimed the lives of around 100 worshippers who were walking out of the mosque at the time, causing significant casualties and injuries. The attack was attributed to al-Qaeda-linked militants who targeted Shia leaders to incite sectarian strife in Iraq, which was already reeling from instability following the U.S.-led invasion.This assassination marked a pivotal moment in the Iraqi landscape, demonstrating the dangers faced by political and religious leaders within a country experiencing an identity crisis in the aftermath of regime change. Ayatollah al-Hakim's death further polarized the Sunni-Shia divide, triggering a wave of retaliatory violence and escalating sectarian tensions. His funeral was attended by thousands, marking not only a moment of mourning but also a rallying point for Shia unity against the threat posed by Sunni extremism. Al-Hakim was celebrated as a martyr, and his death sparked protests and calls for revenge against Sunni communities, contributing to the growing cycle of violence in Iraq as militant groups exploited the chaos of the post-war period.